Second impressions

[amitks]

I have now had more time to explore (and exploit) this device. Also got a lot of my favorite (and familiar) android apps on this to test it slightly more thoroughly. While, we wait on the software update (which hopefully will resolve most issues) here is what I think.

continuing from my previous post, in no particular order:

22. Form factor is good. Feels convenient to carry around. I used to get tired of holding up my iPad but the weight distribution on it feels much better. Btw, the thick bezel on top is such a bonus that you will jump with joy on realizing it...
23. Resolution of 16:9 is great for videos, but for books, the page just seems a bit longish. My fault that I am used to the 4:3 aspect ratio of books and my nook...so this is a matter of habit. But it does also mean that reading in Portrait mode is weird. In landscape it switches to two page mode and feels more reasonable.
24. Sound quality is decent. The speakers handle the mids and the lows better than expected. The highs get a little jittery but then what do you expect from speakers. Buy those Dr.Dre headphones if you want it smooth
25. Hardware buttons are not backlit and that means no-can-do in the dark (nice catch @mada)
26. Charges quite quickly. I got mine from 40% to a 100% in 25 mins
27. Microphone quality is quite good. I tried the built in voice recorder and it did nicely
28. Touchscreen is still laggy (hopefully an OS issue and not a hardware issue)
29. Almost all android phone apps work perfectly without any hitch due to larger resolution or screen size or aspect ratio
30. Built in web browser is best left alone. Switch to Dolphin HD or Opera unless the update fixes issues related to page scrolls and zoom
31. Video playback is interesting: Video rendering is great (used HD videos on my pen drive) but the audio lagged on all my files. Again I think it is just a minor issue because the softwares and kernels are not up-to-date
32. USB drives need to be EXT or FAT. Need to figure out how my android phone manages to access my NTFS laptop
33. Sniffer app is useful and easy to use, though not as much as Astro
34. Leaves take a little getting used to. Also, they only work for some apps (developed by NI) so not very useful at this time. As Genesis kicks in, with more apps the leaves will become more relevant
35. Rear panel is large and hence unsupported on the inside. You can feel the plastic cover wobble slightly when walking around with it, but I am just being finicky. Will be a non-issue with a cover.

Apologies if this seems more like rambling. It is close to midnight and I am still high on Adam-fever Will post a more comprehensive review and a video walk-through after the update as it may be slightly disappointing now.

[outofoffice]

HI, thanks, great work. Have you plugged in a keyboard or mouse yet? Wireless or wired? Also does Dolphin or opera work with the zoom to resize text, and is it better for zoomin than the built in browser? What format of vids are you testing? Thanks

[mada]

zoom is awkward. it has to have a horizontal axis to the slide. up and down and it'll just scroll

[amitks]

zoom is awkward. it has to have a horizontal axis to the slide. up and down and it'll just scroll

Agree with mada. Dolphin is doing a much better job of scrolling and zoom than the default browser though the axis issue is complex. If you use an angulated gesture, the device registers only the horizontal movement for zoom. Hopefully a drivers issue and not more...

Videos tested so far: WMV, AVI, MPG, AVI (HD qual) There is a lag that comes into play if you try to modify the playback timeline. Are you facing the same problem @mada?

[praveenparvani]

Thanks for your contribution.... and series of review... usful info now waiting for "Third Impressions"

[mada]

Agree with mada. Dolphin is doing a much better job of scrolling and zoom than the default browser though the axis issue is complex. If you use an angulated gesture, the device registers only the horizontal movement for zoom. Hopefully a drivers issue and not more...

Videos tested so far: WMV, AVI, MPG, AVI (HD qual) There is a lag that comes into play if you try to modify the playback timeline. Are you facing the same problem @mada?

Nah my adam wouldnt play avi or wmv, I got a message that those formats werent supported. then it decided it would brick itself and went into some weird mode where all it would display was a black adam logo sign, shut itself off and stopped working. im not really sure whats going on but Im out of luck until tomorrow morning

[tokyobreeze]

23. ...reading in Portrait mode is weird. In landscape it switches to two page mode and feels more reasonable.

Which app did you use for books?

Great review by the way.

[amitks]

Nah my adam wouldnt play avi or wmv, I got a message that those formats werent supported. then it decided it would brick itself and went into some weird mode where all it would display was a black adam logo sign, shut itself off and stopped working. im not really sure whats going on but Im out of luck until tomorrow morning

Ouch. That sucks Hope you are able to fix it asap. Eager to see more reviews from you.
I am not sure if mine plays various formats due to the Video Player I sideloaded or the stock version. Should have checked...

[amitks]

Which app did you use for books?

Great review by the way.

Used Google Books browser version, and Nook app. I have ebooks on both so switching back and forth...

EDIT: Nook's behavior is interesting. It does portrait mode only in one direction. If you hold your Adam in the other hand your page will be displayed upside down. why.....?

[IronTUX]

you frighten me
the product does not look finished